Johnny Ward's best bets for Leopardstown on Saturday

Autumn is here and there will be a lovely seasonal feel to Saturday’s Leopardstown meeting as the Flat season nears its conclusion.

Ireland's apparent indifference to Champions Day at Ascot is a talking point and it has not exactly been a vintage year for Irish horses at the top level abroad. Times are changing a little.

Will we see a Classic contender emerge in Foxrock, with four races limited to juveniles? The opener, for example, is a possible match between a pair with superb pedigrees.

I'll be working for the channel tomorrow in Mallow but will try to keep the spirits up, regardless of how Saturday’s Lucky 15 fares! Be lucky.

I really like this filly's pedigree and she was favourite at Listowel when slipping up early in a race that looked no worse than this. She was progressive in maidens but I really like that she now has Jamie Powell claiming 7lb; this kid is outrageous value at that.

I tipped this horse up at a big price at The Curragh when, ridden by Wayne Lordan, he ran a blinder behind stablemate Espionage.

No Nay Never two-year-olds have been critical for Ballydoyle this year - the show still going on during the week at The Curragh with two easy maiden winners - and it seems odd that Seamus Heffernan now takes over on Sierra Blanca, yet Ciaro is a shorter price. He looks smart and progressive, albeit this is a good race.

This horse hasn't an especially flashy pedigree, certainly nothing like as eye-taking as that of Realism, but he beat 22 rivals at The Curragh over this trip on debut three weeks ago for a trainer, Andy Oliver, who hardly ever has winners first time out.

The form was given a timely endorsement this week at The Curragh and he's an each-way price here, which is really appealing as Realism looks a proper staying type and might be a shade vulnerable.

This is a hot race and one should look for the best each-way terms but it's hard not to like this horse's claims.

Before he joined Emmet Mullins he had never run over middle distances, yet showed quite smart form. Now we know he's a potentially smart hurdler on soft ground at a stiff track, so there are plenty of positives here.